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Eid presentation at school draws complaints |
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By MARYAM ALI, Contributing writer
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YORBA LINDA, Calif. – Last December when Kimberly Kanan was invited by her children’s school to discuss the Muslim holiday of Eid during the school’s study of traditions and cultures from around the world, she happily accepted the offer.
But Kanan, an active parent of four, three of whom attend the same school where the presentation took place, did not expect the storm of controversy that ensued.
Turning to the Council on American-Islamic Relations for an opportunity to clear the misunderstanding, Kanan was able to turn a negative experience into a meaningful lesson for the school as well as the larger community.
Kanan, in an exclusive interview with InFocus, shared her journey of the seemingly benign presentation, the fallout and the steps taken to correct the misinformation.
In the presentations to her son’s kindergarten and twins’ second-grade classes, Kanan briefly described Eid as an Islamic celebration that focused on the importance of charity and how it is “better to give than to receive.” She ended by showing the children a picture of the Ka’aba on a prayer rug and passing out gift bags with chocolate money, puzzles, and homemade sets of prayer beads (also called worry beads).
Kanan said that she was very conscious of not implying a religious use for either the prayer rug or the prayer beads. She used the rug as a visual of the historical monument where people gather during the holiday, and the beads, which her 8-year-old twins made themselves, were included as a cultural item. She explained the prayer beads to the students as: “you can just twiddle your thumb on these and it can help calm you down.” Historically, the Greeks used the beads as stress-relievers for a long time before they were adopted for religious purposes by Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even Native Americans.
In spite of Kanan’s precautions, a group of parents panicked and accused Kanan of preaching religious practices to their children with the prayer rug and the prayer beads. The controversy culminated when the principal sent a letter to parents apologizing for allowing Kanan to give the presentation. No complaints were reported, however, when parents gave presentations on Christian, Jewish and other cultural holidays at the school.
Affad Shaikh, CAIR-LA Civil Rights Coordinator, said that although the misunderstanding around Kanan’s presentation was unfortunate, it was not unique or uncommon. Shaikh’s organization recorded 16 school-related cases reported in 2006, but Shaikh said the number was low because “only the worst of the worst get called in.” Overall, CAIR processed 2,467 civil rights complaints during 2006, constituting a 25-percent increase from the year before. In schools, it’s becoming increasingly common for a student to be harassed or discriminated against, just because he or she is Muslim, Shaikh said.
In Kanan’s case, initially the school principal and the second-grade teachers expressed their solidarity with her. However, on Feb. 4, after returning from winter break, the principal sent a letter of apology to the parents of second-grade students regarding the presentation.
In the letter, she stated that it was her responsibility to ensure that “student welfare is protected,” and she sincerely apologized for the “confusion and anxiety” caused by the situation. Regarding Kanan, she wrote, “While her intentions were good, a line was crossed separating culture and religion.”
Kanan was shocked and dismayed to see the letter, which she said has since caused her to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome on campus. “I’ve had windows rolled up on me by mothers whose children we had play dates with last summer,” she said. Others have approached her questioning rumors that she is trying to convert their children.
Upon Kanan’s request for resolution of the matter, Shaikh sent a letter to the school principal on Feb. 18 seeking clarification on how a “line was crossed separating culture and religion” with Kanan’s presentation and whether school board’s policies were being “applied selectively toward Muslims and Islam.”
Shaikh subsequently arranged a meeting between the Kanan family and the school to look into the matter further and seek an explanation of the misunderstanding and an apology letter. In the meeting involving CAIR, the Kanans, the school administration, and the Yorba Linda Unified School District, the following points were agreed upon – the school would send out an apology letter clarifying the situation to parents of second-graders; it would revise school/district policy in regards to religious presentations; it would provide diversity training for teachers; and it would feature a selection of books on Islam in the school library.
Sharaf Mowjood, CAIR-LA government relations coordinator who attended the meeting, said,“The school and the district understand the issues very well, realize the misunderstanding and are actively taking steps to correct the problem and ensure a welcoming environment for all children and their parents.”
Despite her disappointment and deep concern over the incident, Kanan insisted that the principal was “a wonderful person who wrote a horrible letter with horrible consequences but I don’t believe that she did it intentionally.”
Messages left for the principal were not immediately returned. Two teachers referred questions to the school district, The mother who made the initial complaints could not be reached.
Rosemary Gladden from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District assured parents that this was a rare occurrence and that all such situations are dealt with to the best of the district’s abilities.
Kanan said one of the positive elements arising from the incidents were the words of encouragement and appreciation from some parents. They approached Kanan thanking her for educating their children.
Second-grade parent Jamie Osorio, saw no reason for concern in this particular situation, “I don’t think that someone …saying this is how we do things is going to trump anything I can teach my kids.”
Ana Dhar, another Muslim parent on campus, said: “It’s a learning experience for everyone. As Muslims we need to be more active and we need to voice our concerns…instead we just take everything and we don’t say anything.”
Shaikh encouraged people from the community to report incidents and explained that many people are unaware that something can be done to reconcile their situations. He said some brush off discrimination as “the price of being Muslims today,” while others “do not want to further marginalize themselves…by taking a stance.”
“The goal is to empower the students and the parents to take negative situations and turn them into positive ones,” Shaikh said.
Kanan said that while the parents had a right to complain, the administration had the responsibility to educate itself before issuing an incriminating letter. Her husband, Sa’d explained that in these situations, “the most important thing is not allowing yourself to be victimized. Speak up, take a stand, and pull on the strength of the community as a whole.” The Kanans have high hopes that the situation will be resolved amicably.
As of the time this article was going to print, the apology letter had not yet been received by the Kanan family.
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